UPDATE: Brevard Residents Talk About Possible 10-Foot Great White Shark Lurking in Space Coast Waterway
By Space Coast Daily // April 27, 2020
GREAT WHITE SHARK 'CABOT' WHEREABOUTS IN QUESTION, PINGED IN INDIAN RIVER
SPACE COAST DAILY TV: In response to a possible Great White Shark sighting in the Indian and Banana Rivers, Brevard County residents Tom Clark, Christine Ryba and Aaron Conti of South Banana River Drive talk about what they saw from their Merritt Island Banana River dock on April 19.
POSSIBLE GREAT WHITE SHARK SIGHTING: Capt. Eric Ciocher stops by to discuss shark sightings and the conditions of the Intracoastal Waterways.
UPDATED: APRIL 27, 2020, 11 a.m.
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – On Saturday at 11:14 p.m. www.Ocearch.org pinged “Cabot,” an almost 10-foot long, 530-pound Great White Shark in the Indian River just north of State Road 528.
OCEARCH is a non-profit organization and a recognized world leader in generating critical scientific data related to tracking and biological studies of large apex predators such as great white sharks and other keystone marine species.
After Space Coast Daily published a story detailing Cabot’s ping in the Indian River at 5 p.m. Saturday, Ocearch.org then removed the information from its website, indicating the last notation of Cabot was on March 12 about 150 miles off the Brevard County Coast.
Space Coast Daily editors then emailed Ocearch.org officials for an explanation of the removal of Cabot’s Indian River Ping but have not yet received a reply.
In response to a possible Great White Shark sighting in the Indian and Banana Rivers, longtime Brevard County residents Tom Clark, Christine Ryba and Aaron Conti said they witnessed from a private dock on the Banana River what they think was a Great White shark feeding on April 19. Their account, which was provided on Sunday afternoon, can be seen in the above video.
Capt. Eric Ciocher also weighed in to discuss the shark sighting and the conditions of the Intracoastal waterways to support a Great White shark of Cabot’s size.
Ciocher is an established professional fishing guide on Florida’s Space Coast and has numerous tournament wins in the saltwater arena. He has more than 30 years of fishing experience in salt and fresh water combined and is a published outdoor writer for national and local fishing industry publications.
Space Coast Daily received correspondence Monday morning from Skip Olson who lives on Sykes Creek Cove on Merritt Island, within view of the 528 bridge and the barge canal.
“Having read your article yesterday on Cabot sightings near Merritt Island I can possibly validate the route Cabot took between the Banana and Indian River,” said Olson.
“Early last week, April 21 or 22, while playing with my two labs outside, there was a huge splash behind my boat.
I did not see what it was but can tell you it was significantly larger than anything I’ve seen in the 37 years I’ve lived here. As I frequently have manatees and porpoise visit near me, I thought it was one of them.
“So I immediately went onto my floating dock, which was still rocking from the waves created, and watched to see if it resurfaced, as these mammals frequently do. However, it did not. The water is quite deep and unclear so unfortunately I never got a look at it.”
Olson is a retired Northrop Grumman VP and licensed captain and his father has more than 70 years of offshore fishing experience and has caught many large fish and sharks.
“I do not want to cause panic, but I have a deep concern for our local adults and children, including my granddaughter, who frequently swim in these waters,” said Olson.
“I sincerely hope you can get Ocearch to reactivate their ping system so he can be tracked and hopefully people be warned and kept safe. I’m not looking for publicity and report this merely as a matter of my civic duty to help shed light on the travels of Cabot and thus help people be safe.”
For more information and images, please see the below original story and update.
UPDATE: APRIL 25, 2020, 8:30 P.M.
Space Coast Daily posted the below story about “Cabot,” an almost 10-foot long Great White Shark, at 5 p.m. on April 25, 2020, with information and images directly from www.Ocearch.org
Please note the images below confirm Ocearch.org‘s information as of April 25, 2020, at 5 p.m.
Since that time, Ocearch.org has removed the below “ping” information in the Indian River, showing the last notation of Cabot was on March 12 off the Brevard County Coast.
Space Coast Daily editors have emailed Ocearch.org officials for an explanation of why Cabot’s ping in the Indian River has since been removed from their website.
STAY TUNED TO SPACE COAST DAILY FOR UPDATES
ORIGINAL POST: APRIL 25, 2020, 5 P.M.
10-Foot Great White Shark ‘Cabot’ Spotted In Indian River Lagoon Near State Road 528 and Cocoa
ABOVE VIDEO: ‘Cabot’ was recorded as a 9-foot-eight inch, sub-adult white shark when it was tagged October 5, 2018, in Nova Scotia.
BREVARD COUNTY • COCOA, FLORIDA – Surprise Brevard County! A near 10-foot male Great White Shark named ‘Cabot’ has registered inside the Indian River Lagoon near State Road 528 in Cocoa on Saturday, according to Ocearch.
The ‘ping’ came in at 11:14 a.m. on Saturday which registers a satellite tracker attached to the shark’s dorsal fin when it breaks the surface of the water.
‘Cabot’ was recorded as a 9-foot-eight inch, sub-adult white shark, and weighing in around 533-pounds when it was tagged October 5, 2018 in Nova Scotia.
Ocearch’s partner, SeaWorld, named him using suggestions from Nova Scotians after the explorer John Cabot.
Since being tagged in 2018, ‘Cabot’ has logged more than 6,700 miles of distance covered.
This is the first known recording of an Ocearch tagged Great White Shark pinging inside the Indian River Lagoon, since Ocearch began tagging sharks in 2007.
The Carcharodon carcharias species was made famous by the bestselling novel Jaws by Peter Benchley and the subsequent blockbuster film by Steven Spielberg depicted the great white shark as a ferocious man-eater.
Humans are not the preferred prey of the great white shark, but, nevertheless, the great white is responsible for the largest number of reported and identified fatal unprovoked shark attacks on humans.
What does OCEARCH do that is so unique?
OCEARCH is a data-centric organization built to help scientists collect previously unattainable data in the ocean while open-sourcing our research and explorations. Open-sourcing and inclusion at every level, and in real-time, allows the world to participate in our projects while being aware of the developing science.
Why is the research important?
Global conservation and public safety requires data that does not currently exist
What happens with the studies?
Several peer-reviewed papers have been published based on OCEARCH expeditions and resulting studies, and there are more in preparation. The studies, once published, become a basis for informed policy and management decisions.
What happens to the data you’ve collected?
We share the data, including samples collected and tracking data, with collaborating institutions and students who request them for their studies. The tracking data is also open-sourced to the public via the OCEARCH Tracker.
ABOUT OCEARCH
OCEARCH is a recognized world leader in generating critical scientific data related to tracking (telemetry) and biological studies of keystone marine species such as great white and tiger sharks, in conjunction with conservation outreach and education at a measurable global scale.
In a collaborative environment established by Founding Chairman and Expedition Leader Chris Fischer, OCEARCH shares real-time data through OCEARCH’s Global Shark Tracker, inspires current and future generations of explorers, scientists, and stewards of the ocean, and enables leading researchers and institutions to generate previously unattainable data. OCEARCH has completed 26 worldwide expeditions.
In 2015, OCEARCH open sourced the data on the Global Shark Tracker to 2.3 million users, achieved an annual global reach of more than 12.2 billion media impressions, a Facebook reach of 150 million impressions, and a Twitter reach of 36 million impressions.
For more information on OCEARCH, its expeditions, and the Global Shark Tracker, contact info@ocearch.org
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